Born on the 21 of January 1980 in Bucharest Romania, Maria Popistasu graduated in 1998 an art high school, stage design department and in 2002 graduates The National University of Theater and Film from Bucharest, the acting department. While still a student she collaborated with the National Theatre for three years. She played Sacha in "The Living Dead" (L.N. Tolstoi) and Irina in "Three Sisters" (A.P.Cehov). Her film career started with Lady Marie in the British production Gunpowder, Treason & Plot (2004) (TV), that won the FIPA D'OR Grand Prize and she quits the theater as she acts in the harrowing British miniseries Sex Traffic (2004) (TV). The part of a young Romanian sold into slavery got her a Gemini Award for best supporting act. Maria can later be seen in the film Crash Test Dummies (2005) as Ana, Austrian film that won the Special award of the Jury in Cinessonne Filmfestival and in 2005 stars in her first Romanian production, "Love Sick" Legaturi bolnavicioase (2006), that will be presented at the 2006 Berlinale.